Chili cook-off in Orlando benefits Special Olympics

The 5th annual Orlando Chili Cook-off is noon-6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8 in Festival Park near downtown. Admission is $12 for adults and $3 for children ages 6-12. Competitors will give out chili samples, and food vendors will be on-site. The event is a lot of fun and all for a good cause. Since 2010 the event has raised more than $150,000 for Special Olympics Florida. But before you line up the Maalox shooters, let's dish:

Cooking for dollars. It's time to brush up on your creative cooking skills in the kitchen. Martha White and Lodge Cast Iron are searching the nation for the best original main-dish corn bread recipes in the 18th Annual National Cornbread Cook-Off.

Through Feb. 28, home cooks can submit an original main-dish recipe prepared with at least one package of Martha White Cornbread Mix and cooked in Lodge Cast Iron cookware. Ten finalists will be selected to compete during the National Cornbread Festival on April 26 in South Pittsburg, Tenn.

Along with the coveted cast-iron skillet crown — which sounds unduly heavy — the champion will receive $5,000 and a 30-inch stainless-steel gas range ($3,250 value).

The second-prize winner will take home$1,500 and third place will snag$1,000. The remaining seven finalists each will walk away with $150, and all finalists will receive a $500 travel reimbursement and a gift basket.

Farm patrol. Looking for farm-fresh food and a family road trip? Check out Long & Scott Farms in Mount Dora (feels like Zellwood), which has occupied more than 1,200 acres in both Lake and Orange counties for 50 years. The Country Café is open for breakfast and lunch and the farm hasyou-pick strawberries. Hank Scott, a third-generation farmer, and his team work tirelessly at adapting the agricultural landscape to keep the operation thriving and have kept Florida sweet corn a Zellwood product. L&S cucumbers give the crunch to Claussen, Mt. Olive and other pickle products. The farm market — which also sells cabbage, root vegetables and bell peppers — is at 26216 County Road 448A in Mount Dora, near Zellwood. (longandscottfarms.com)

Hall of Fame taps food movers, shakers. Ten Central Floridians who have made significant contributions to how we eat, drink and dine will be inducted into the Orlando Sentinel's Culinary Hall of Fame in February. If you have someone you would like to nominate, email their name, contact information and a brief bio describing what makes them hall-of-fame worthy to hmcpherson@tribune.com by 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7. Look for the honorees in the Cooking & Eating section on Feb. 26.